Fifth Avenue, New York

This work is fully steeped in modernity, both in style and subject, showing an "urban Sorolla" rarely seen in his larger paintings. Like the French Impressionists 40 years before in Paris, the Spanish Impressionist painter Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida appears to be working from the window of his room in New York in this gouache, looking out over Fifth Avenue. Quick, loose brushstrokes on the card capture the dynamic pulse of city life, filled with automobiles (which Sorolla saw as signs of modern life). The piece also reflects the artist's photographic gaze, visible in the casual, unposed quality of the scene.

New York held real significance for Sorolla. He traveled there in 1909 for a major solo exhibition at the Hispanic Society of America, organized by his friend and patron Archer Huntington.  The show was a huge critical and commercial success and cemented his reputation in the United States. The trip also led to portrait commissions from prominent Americans, including President William Howard Taft. 

P.S. Here's New York in 10 unexpected paintings!

P.P.S. Our calendar presale is on now! Get your 2027 calendar with 15% off while limited presale copies are still available.  :)